


Ryan

by phoenixnz



Category: Smallville
Genre: Episode Related, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-10
Updated: 2018-02-10
Packaged: 2019-03-16 04:06:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 877
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13628277
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/phoenixnz/pseuds/phoenixnz
Summary: The farm takes in a young boy leaving Martha wondering if they should adopt a sibling for Clark.





	Ryan

Martha had gone from an initial fear to feeling sorry for the young boy who had come to stay with them. He was a sweet kid, although clearly nervous, thinking they would blame him for the actions of his stepfather. 

She watched as Ryan and Clark played basketball in the yard, loving the genuine laughter from the boy. It felt as if the poor kid had never really had much fun in his life. Not since his mother had passed away. The way he talked about his mother, it was as if the sun shone out of her. How she had fallen for the man she had eventually married Martha had no idea. 

Ryan had been initially shy and reticent when he’d come to stay with them the night he’d run out in front of her car. She’d sensed he was afraid but hadn’t expected him to fake amnesia. Still, she couldn’t blame him for that. They’d eventually learned that Ryan’s stepfather James Gibson had been abusive. It was understandable that the boy would be afraid if they found out the truth.

Gibson was a career-criminal. He’d exploited Ryan’s strange ability to read minds and used him to help him steal from people by reading their security information, either passwords or safe combinations. Then Gibson had forced Ryan to read Lex’s mind to get the password to his accounts. Clark had gone after them. Now that Ryan’s stepfather was in police custody, the young teen was safe.

Thank goodness for Clark, she thought. Her son had always had a way with others and it had been because of him that Ryan had been able to confess the truth. She supposed part of it was the fact that he’d often felt a little lonely himself, so he could empathise with others who were experiencing the same thing. He’d managed to help the young boy come out of his shell, at least a little.

Part of her wished they could adopt Ryan themselves, but Chloe had already tracked down his aunt, who was coming to get him. The aunt had been surprised to learn what happened to Ryan and upset on his behalf at the way he had been treated.

Jonathan wrapped his arms around her waist.

“I know what you’re thinking, and no, we can’t.”

“I know,” she said with a sigh. Yet, she couldn’t help thinking it would be good for Clark to have a little brother. Especially one who knew about Clark’s abilities and didn’t need an explanation as to why it was a secret. 

She wished, and not for the first time, that they could have given their son a sibling. It didn’t matter whether the child was biologically theirs or not. Nothing changed the way she felt about her son. He was her gift. It wouldn’t matter if by some miracle she had a child that was biologically hers. 

She’d read stories about children who had been adopted only to be neglected once their parents had a biological child. She swore that if that miracle occurred, she would never do that to Clark. For all his amazing abilities, in many ways, his mind was rather fragile. He had some insecurities, not least of which was his abilities, which appeared to be growing every day.

She supposed it was partly their fault for having been so protective in those early years. Lord knew, she had been terrified that someone would come along and take Clark away from them. It was never an easy fear to get over and she supposed that had affected their son in some way. 

He’d once asked them if they’d considered adopting another child. Clark hadn’t said it in so many words, but she guessed he would have liked a sibling. Martha remembered shooting a look at her husband, thinking that having another child around would have made it more difficult to hide Clark’s abilities. Young children often had no filters; they could so easily spill the beans on a secret, no matter what it was.

That was one thing Martha liked about Ryan. If there was anyone who realised the importance of keeping this secret, it was him.

She looked at Jonathan, who smiled softly at her, watching the two boys at play. They’d both grown up only children and there had been many times she had wished for a sister she could confide in. She had once asked her mother why she didn’t have a sibling but Mary had never given her a straight answer. Perhaps her mother had had the same health problems that had, for Martha, meant she could never have children of her own. 

Jonathan’s father had been in his late thirties when his son was born. Not that it made a huge amount of difference, Martha thought, but it probably hadn’t helped.

“Don’t you wish that sometimes we could have another child?” she asked.

Her husband hugged her. “Sweetheart, I think if it’s meant to be, life, or fate will find a way. I mean, it brought Clark to us.”

She smiled and kissed him. “You’re right,” she said. “You’re right.”

As they said goodbye to Ryan later that afternoon, she couldn’t help smiling at the memory of her husband’s words, even through her sadness.


End file.
